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Tag: podcasts

  • BBC World Service: Spanning the Globe Since 1932

    On this date in 1932, the BBC Empire Service radio system went on the air for the first time. Here are some things you may not have known about what is now called BBC World Service. The Empire Service began as a shortwave service aimed at English speakers in the far-flung reaches of the British…

  • Bill of Rights, Part Two

    Thursday’s episode ended with 12 proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution being sent to the states for ratification. What we now know as the First Amendment was actually the third proposed article of the Bill of Rights. The first article dealt with how to determine the size of Congress. Because it was never ratified, the…

  • Bill of Rights: Part One

    This is part one of a a two-part episode. On this date in 1791, the United States Bill of Rights became law when the state of Virginia ratified it. Here are some things you may not have known about the story behind the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. The Constitution of the United States…

  • The Last Man on the Moon — So Far

    On this date in 1972, Eugene Cernan became the last man to walk on the moon. Here are some things you may not have known about Apollo 17. Apollo 17 was the first mission to be commanded by someone who was not a test pilot. Gene Cernan was a fighter pilot in the navy, and…

  • Francis Drake: An Around the World Pirate Voyage

    On this date in 1577, Francis Drake set off from Plymouth, England, on his around-the-world voyage. Here are some things you may not have known about Drake and his voyages. Francis Drake was born around 1540 in Devon, England. His father was a farmer. As a youth, Drake was apprenticed to a neighbor, who captained…

  • Monarch Nicknames: From Fat to Terrible

    On this date in year 884, Charles the Fat became emperor of the Frankish Empire. Here are a few historical monarchs with less-than-flattering nicknames, and the stories behind them. Charles the Fat was a great-grandson of Charlemagne, and reunited his forebear’s empire for a short time. There’s some disagreement over whether he fully qualifies as…

  • John Glenn: First American in Orbit

    On Thursday, John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth and a longtime senator from Ohio died at the age of 95. Here are a few things you may not have known about him. John Glenn was born on July 18, 1921, in Cambridge, Ohio, in the southeastern part of the state. In 1941,…

  • Famous Speeches: “A Date Which Will Live in Infamy”

    On this date in 1941, U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt gave what has become one of the most famous speeches in American history. Here are a few things you may not have known about the “Infamy Speech.” On December 7, 1941, Japanese forces attacked the U.S. naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, sinking six American ships…

  • Washington Monument: A Slow Process

    On this date in 1884, the Washington Monument was completed. Here are some things you may not have known about the memorial to the first American President. Proposals for a monument to George Washington started at the end of the Revolutionary War. However, Congress didn’t act until after his death in 1799, when it authorized…

  • LaGuardia Airport: New York’s First Major Airport

    On this date in 1939, LaGuardia Airport in New York opened. Here are some things you may not have known about the closest airport to Manhattan. LaGuardia was the city’s first major airport. Until that time, the only commercial airport in the New York region was in Newark, New Jersey. Supposedly, the decision to develop…